It is critical that any movement of a patient undergoing certain medical procedures be restricted to as little as possible. For example the respiratory motion of patients undergoing hypo-fractionate or single fraction stereotactic radiotherapy for liver or other abdominal cancers.
Existing devices which attempt to minimize movement of the patient due to respiration use an approach involving a small plate typically 5″ wide which is pressed up against the patient's abdomen. This plate is in all cases held over the patient with an arch of some sort and the plate can then be pushed up against the patient.
The problem with this approach is that it only applies pressure in one direction, which just allows the internal organs to be displaced laterally instead of held still.